9 ms·

Google's Answer to Siri Thinks Ahead

106 points by oliversong 14y ago

Zenst 14y ago
Interesting, would appear the AI is based upon your email and general google collected info upon you. With that in mind I better make sure I'm catching all the spam comming in as one walk near Soho in London and things could get interesting. From what I have played with google now and its card alerts it has so far impressed me with bus options to get home, though mostly when I'm upon a bus already and it offers alternatives. If the bus breaks down then I'm covered is how I see it in a thru positive blinkers.
ams6110 14y ago
The trick will be for them to be helpful without being creepy.
- ihsw 14y ago
  There is a certain threshold where helpfulness and creepiness cross, specifically when it will be so helpful that creepiness will need to be ignored. At that point it becomes dangerous to rely on it (see: drones and their exploding popularity in civilian applications).
OriginalSyn 14y ago
So far Google Now is pretty impressive. I love that it will post a reminder in my notifications before an event telling me when I have to leave to make it there on time based on current traffic conditions.
- nickknw 14y ago
  This just happened to me yesterday. I was surprised and delighted. ...Then a little creeped out. Overall I think it's great though.
- necubi 14y ago
  This can have some amusing results when the input isn't as Google expects. For example, in my office the conference rooms are named after streets, some of which are also cities. So when I have a 2pm meeting in Folsom, I get a notification a couple of hours before telling me I should leave soon so I can make it to Folsom, CA in time.
  - jrockway 14y ago
    This also happens to me. The conference rooms on the floor I work on are named after landmarks in Manhattan. Meeting invites often say something like "2PM in Battery Park". So at about 1:30, my phone vibrates and says it's going to take 25 minutes to take the subway there. Heh.
    - shasta 14y ago
      My horse is named Friday.
      - jrockway 14y ago
        Who's on first?
  - troymc 14y ago
    That's cute. Is there a way to tell Google that you mean a different "Folsom"? Google's Knowledge Graph does have a concept of name ambiguity (as does Wikipedia; it has disambiguation pages). For example, if I do a Google search for "Taj Mahal", the right sidebar shows details about the landmark in India, but below that it also offers to give me more information about the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, or Taj Mahal the musician.
    - abraham 14y ago
      If Google new there was a conference room in a persons current building named the location of an event I would bet it would be smart enough to use that instead. Maybe as more places start using Google indoor mapping this particular problem will be fixed. Most of the errors will likely just be a lack of context provided to Google or a lack of information available in a format Google can access.
ben1040 14y ago
When I saw the keynote introducing Google Now, the first thing I thought of was that concept video they used to introduce Glass [1]. For example, in the video, the user looked at a subway station entrance, and the glasses showed a rider alert that the station was closed due to a train problem. I have to imagine that Google Now will be an important information engine behind the "HUD" displays in Glass. Glass is aiming to also follow that principle of offering you information when it's contextually-relevant, and trying to get out of the way otherwise. [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4
eco 14y ago
So the voice search is called Google Now? During the keynote it was confusing because they kept calling the voice stuff "Voice Search" and "Google Now" was only used when talking about the cards (which are confusingly in the same app).
- isaacwaller 14y ago
  The voice search is not called Now (it is just 'Google Voice Search') but since Google Now and Google Voice Search were released at the same time they are commonly confused.
- Shooti 14y ago
  You've got it right, Voice Search and Google Now are separate entities living in the same Google search app. IIRC the keynote introduced it as something like "The New Google search = New UI + Voice Search + Google Now", so no contradiction there. People just happen to like calling the entire app "Google Now" since thats the part they remember, so it became tradition. Much like how some people call the iPod Touch the "iTouch".
- cbhl 14y ago
  Voice Search is Voice Search. Google Now is just the predictive notifications and the cards (the notifications being the more signifiant part). The two are separate. Voice Search has been available since Froyo, IIRC -- although in the past it would simply show search results rather than respond with a voice for anything other than a small set of phrases. Voice responses for more general Knowledge Graph queries is new in Jellybean. (Long-press the search button on an older phone, like a Nexus One, to trigger it.)
habosa 14y ago
I have been using Google Now for a few months now and it has been amazing. Example 1: One night I was going to a Roots concert and I went through the venue's website on my Google Chrome on my laptop. Then, right around concert time, Google Now alerted me to what subway I should take to get there. Example 2: I searched for the Phillies score once on my tablet, and now my phone tells me about the score of each game. Again, I never asked. Example 3: After 2 days, Google Now guessed where I lived/worked and what time I left for work most days. I don't use any check-in services or anything like that it really just guessed. Then it started telling me what time I'd have to leave home/work to get there on time based on the current subway schedule. Exactly what I wanted, never asked.
- tarkin2 14y ago
  Really cool, but am I the only one who finds this creepy as hell?
  - ConstantineXVI 14y ago
    I've been operating under the assumption that Google (and others) has been building this sort of data up on their users for a while now; I actually appreciate said data being used (visibly) for my benefit for once.
  - factorialboy 14y ago
    Not really. They (Apple, Google, FB etc.) always had this data. At least they're putting it to good use.
  - 0xABADC0DA 14y ago
    Yes. Your filter bubble won't let you know that anybody else finds it creepy. "If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included."
  - bdr 14y ago
    I'm not trying to be glib, but: so what? Some people will use it, because it will provide value to them. I may be one of them. Kids born today will, if nothing changes, think this stuff is absolutely normal. Your reaction is a valid one, and I have my limits too, but I think we're beyond the point of merely acknowledging that it's creepy. Please go further: Where is the line? Why? And what are you willing to do about it?
bdr 14y ago
Interesting. I'm thinking that Android vs Apple may be decided on the simple fact that sufficiently-better AI trumps any-amount-better UI. Lawsuits and supposed openness be damned.
- buu700 14y ago
  That actually seems like a really interesting observation. I've never specifically thought of systems in terms of UI v. AI before, but it makes sense if you think of all operations in any computational system as the result of data manipulation by some "intelligence", and user interface as more specifically the interface between that data and user intelligence. In a computational system, computational intelligence will be used in all instances possible, until such a point as it is either insufficiently advanced or insufficiently informed to continue without making a call to the user intelligence. Thus, the more advanced a computational intelligence and the more information at its disposal, the less interface with user intelligence necessary. By that reasoning, it follows that the ideal or perfect interface would be one which treats the user purely as a data source (more precisely, as the absolute last data source in the pecking order – one to use when absolutely no other data source accessible could possibly provide the same data or make the same decision with reasonable confidence). In that sense, it's likely that going forward we'll see UIs moving more in the direction of Now / Wolfram Alpha / Siri and using such mechanisms to manipulate and return greater amounts of information.
  - bdr 14y ago
    Butlers had a pretty good UI.
  - buu700 14y ago
    A couple more thoughts: * This idea of data being acted upon by intelligences is essentially a generalisation of the canonical algorithms and data structures. * The argument presented would also explain why anyone accustomed to a certain command line interface will swear by it over most graphical interfaces to the same system (the reason being that commands are usually a much more direct interface between the system and the user intelligence).
YooLi 14y ago
Not looking forward to the ads. I'd rather pay for it.
- jmsduran 14y ago
  I would pay for any service if I had guarantees that my data would not be sold or used for third party profit in any way.
sprokolopolis 14y ago
Recently, my parents went on a trip to London. Before they returned, I received a Google Now card with their flight information and estimated time of arrival. I am not sure if they gathered this info from email or sms. It was somewhat creepy, but certainly helpful and convenient (I needed to call them before they left). I have been quite pleased with Google Now and use it much more than I ever used any of the other Siri clones. When I am busy, I forget things easily and it is nice when Google just gives me helpful information to keep me on track.
nsp 14y ago
;-
hnriot 14y ago
While this is incredibly smart and a very impressive application of machine learning, does anyone actually want this? I'm quite capable of looking at traffic reports or bus times myself when I need to. I actually think I'd find this pretty annoying, if my phone told me sports score before I'd had a chance to watch the game, or if it started second guessing me at every turn. This has the feel of valet parking, while it sounds fine and convenient and luxurious, in reality I find it very undesirable and will avoid places that have it. There's something very much at the core of life in experiencing it for ourselves without having a computer to hand hold us the whole time and remind us it's time leave for work. I don't find it creepy, just embarrassing to feel like I need to be babied so much by technology.
- jamesaguilar 14y ago
  Tbh if I have a calendar entry with a location attached, I'd rather just skip the step of typing the address myself of the computer is smart enough to do it automatically.
  - fixedd 14y ago
    I also really like the examples like "how tall is the Eiffel Tower?" Sometimes I want to know a specific piece of information, sometimes I want to read up on something. This allows me to ask specific questions and get poignant answers.
- blrgeek 14y ago
  Earlier browsers had one address box, and one search box. Chrome moved both together - and many people liked it. I'm sure you like Google Instant and Google Suggest - with the results/search terms showing up even as you type - allowing you to refine your query on the fly even before you complete it! Google Now is one big leap in the same direction. I search for a lot of things, and I would like instant access to a lot of things that I've searched for before. If my phone can figure out what I need access to 'Now' because I've searched for it before or it knows my routing - I say bring it on - make my life easier - and give me more time to do my stuff instead of handling logistics and trivia. Look at the examples - giving you transit timings when you enter a bus-stop, or giving you traffic conditions to your office or next appointment, or driving directions to the place you searched for. Why not using the super computer in your pocket for that instead of focusing your mind on it and distracting you from your life? And either you're watching the game NOW, and therefore the score is not relevant to you, or you're not able to watch the game, so the scores are useful. Presumably, the number of people who time-shift a live game is not that high. Those folks can simply delete the card the first time and never see it again. Google Now is adding a rich information layer to your life via your phone. You can ignore it or you can use it.
blrgeek 14y ago
Google Now is awesome. Search for a place on Google - card shows up with driving directions on phone. Morning and evening, shows up driving time/directions for work/home.
- ralfd 14y ago
  Why are you people thinking this is better than Microsoft Words annoying Clippy? "It seems like you are writing a letter..." I already know how to get to work every day.
  - keeperofdakeys 14y ago
    The difference is Clippy tries to grab your attention, most likely without making a contribution. Google Now doesn't try to grab your attention, just show you information that might be helpful.
  - twism 14y ago
    It only shows up if there are traffic delays or public transit schedules.
  - blrgeek 14y ago
    It's out of the way - at best there's an extra notification, or it's one card in Google Now - when/if you go there. Extra information when presented unobtrusively is not annoying. a. Do you know how long it's going to take today? If there're any specific traffic issues that are causing delays on your usual route? b. What if you have an appointment today to a different place than work - wouldn't you like to know the route there? c. If you take transit, wouldn't you like to see bus routes when you reach the bus stop, instead of manually searching for it? Think of it as your Personal Assistant... Not sure why you wouldn't want one that's always with you and can be flicked away if it's not what you want [permanently or only this time].
potch 14y ago
So I can steal someone's phone, and just have it remind me of all that user's private info by walking around? Nifty. Edit: I know the above is glib, and I'm not trying to rain on the parade of unbelievable achievements in data-wrangling that are going on here (I'd love to hear how it's done computationally), but I don't like knowing that all the privacy controls something like this deserves will be rolled out hastily in response to someone's life inevitably being ruined by the careless trust of one's life to a device that can fall out of their pocket. It's easy for the savvier of us on this site to say "serves them for not thinking to take precautions", but when we make it so easy to give a third party the reins, even we get complacent.
- kaolinite 14y ago
  That isn't a problem with Google Now, that's a problem with smartphones generally. Even without Google Now, you can log onto someone's Facebook account, read their emails, read their texts, view their calendar, etc.
- 1010011010 14y ago
  Assuming you could unlock it, yes. But this has been true since the age of Palm and Blackberry phones.
jpalomaki 14y ago
I think Android 4.1 is finally something like the "agents" people have been envisioning for over a decade. The possibilities on this are endless and currently Google is about the only company that is able to do it (from my point of view). Google knows my calendar, Google knows my contacts, Google knows pretty much everything I buy online (because they handle all my emails), Google knows about my travel plans (email again), Google know what I've been looking, where I've been (Latitude) and so on. There could be also huge opportunities for money making in all this. One good question is should they keep all this just to themselves or would it be better to try to create an ecosystem for applications. Let's the take travel plans as an example. It would be fairly easy for Google to mine my calendar and emails to figure out my travel plans. This would open up opportunities in offering me flight upgrades and other travel related services. Google could either try to use this information themselves, they could allow advertisers to use it, or they could expose it to 3rd party apps (of course with my consent). Keeping with the agent idea these things would be much more than just highly targeted ads. They could be direct offers, like "Say Yes Please, to upgrade your flight from Helsinki to Barcelona to business class for 150€".
modernerd 14y ago
With a little imagination, it's not hard to see why some are nervous about a search engine that stores every interaction in an attempt to profile its users and guess their intentions. Don your finest tin foil hat as we channel surf some internet TV stations from the future: LIGHTS DIM; THE GLOW OF A COMPUTER SCREEN FILLS THE ROOM "In what is thought to be a world-first, a man's life was saved late Friday following automated intervention by a search engine. "Close friends of Mr Exampleson, who BBC News can now reveal were the only members of his "Best Friends" circle on Boogle Plus, said they were able to get to the Beachy Head cliffs in Southern England five minutes before his arrival thanks only to an email from a 'Concerned Partner'. "The email said that their friend was displaying worrying behaviour, that he had personally disclosed his intention to take his own life, that he had planned a route to Beachy Head with an estimated arrival time of 19:27, and that he was currently on the A267 heading South at a speed of 57MPH. "A spokesperson from Boogle Ireland this morning said that they have long been publishing helpline numbers on their website when a user enters certain search terms, and that this was simply an extension of that service. "Privacy advocate Mr Foilhatison joins us now to discuss what this means for..." SWITCH CHANNEL "...surrounded the building and ordered the suspect to come out with his hands up. When questioned, it emerged that the man was famous writer Real Steveyson, who is staying in the area to write his hotly anticipated thriller, Cryptonomnomnom. Mr Steveyson has since been released with a public apology. Police are now said to be following a variety of other leads they hope will 'prove to be less of a hopeless time suck'. "Asked why he felt detectives had singled him out and surrounded him in his remote location, Mr Steveyson said that he had been searching Boogle over a period of two months for various methods to reduce DNA evidence at crime scenes for his upcoming book. He had also been Boogling for local peat bogs, completely unaware of the recent bodies that police have pulled from them. Mr Steveyson suspects that Boogle may now be sharing live search information with local law enforcement agencies in a bid to both pre-empt crime and increase conviction rates. The idea sounds so far-fetched that he plans to make it the subject of his next novel, which he hopes to publish for the first time via telepathic transfer using the new... SWITCH CHANNEL "We're here in the diamond district where Miss Caratson is closing her shop for the last time. Tell us, Miss Caratson, is it the same story for you as it has been for the others?" "Sure is! I haven't sold a single engagement ring since Boogle Hive got popular." "Can you explain why?" "Boogle talks my customers out of the purchase! Somehow it detects that they're in a jewellers. And that's when it gets really weird. It always starts the same way: they get that dreaded audio alert. That's when I know I've lost the sale. "One time, it told a young man that, based on a language analysis of all correspondence with his partner, there was a 76% chance that his fiancé-to-be was only interested in him for his large Boogle Wallet balance, so he might want to hold off on his big plans. "Another time, Boogle tells my customer that, based on something called their "Boogle Lifestyle Score", they probably weren't the marrying kind. Then it reels off a list of 12 ways they'd have much more fun with the same amount of money, and it lets them know that six of the 12 things are within a five-minute walk. "And don't get me started on the glasses! Guys using those Boogle Glasses always get told that Boogle has found the same ring they're looking at 500 bucks cheaper three shops down. It's a race to the bottom. I just can't win. "Some of us tried to circumvent it by installing Faraday shielding and blocking the damn system altogether, but Boogle just warns people to avoid us before they even get in the door. It's over. I'm done!" "What will you do now, Miss Caratson?" "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to do what everyone else is doing. I'm going to start a..." SCREEN DIMS, AMBIENT LIGHTS FLICKER ON Yes, some of this may be a little far-fetched, but the idea of a computer network attempting to infer intentions based on a lifetime of intimate accumulated knowledge is troubling for many. Even if such a system has the potential to be incredibly useful, I suspect that the amount of blind trust it demands would make it a challenge to adopt for more than a few of us.

106 points by oliversong 14y ago

Zenst 14y ago

Interesting, would appear the AI is based upon your email and general google collected info upon you. With that in mind I better make sure I'm catching all the spam comming in as one walk near Soho in London and things could get interesting. From what I have played with google now and its card alerts it has so far impressed me with bus options to get home, though mostly when I'm upon a bus already and it offers alternatives. If the bus breaks down then I'm covered is how I see it in a thru positive blinkers.

ams6110 14y ago

The trick will be for them to be helpful without being creepy.

ihsw 14y ago
There is a certain threshold where helpfulness and creepiness cross, specifically when it will be so helpful that creepiness will need to be ignored. At that point it becomes dangerous to rely on it (see: drones and their exploding popularity in civilian applications).

OriginalSyn 14y ago

So far Google Now is pretty impressive. I love that it will post a reminder in my notifications before an event telling me when I have to leave to make it there on time based on current traffic conditions.

nickknw 14y ago
This just happened to me yesterday. I was surprised and delighted. ...Then a little creeped out. Overall I think it's great though.
necubi 14y ago
This can have some amusing results when the input isn't as Google expects. For example, in my office the conference rooms are named after streets, some of which are also cities. So when I have a 2pm meeting in Folsom, I get a notification a couple of hours before telling me I should leave soon so I can make it to Folsom, CA in time.
- jrockway 14y ago
  This also happens to me. The conference rooms on the floor I work on are named after landmarks in Manhattan. Meeting invites often say something like "2PM in Battery Park". So at about 1:30, my phone vibrates and says it's going to take 25 minutes to take the subway there. Heh.
  - shasta 14y ago
    My horse is named Friday.
    - jrockway 14y ago
      Who's on first?
- troymc 14y ago
  That's cute. Is there a way to tell Google that you mean a different "Folsom"? Google's Knowledge Graph does have a concept of name ambiguity (as does Wikipedia; it has disambiguation pages). For example, if I do a Google search for "Taj Mahal", the right sidebar shows details about the landmark in India, but below that it also offers to give me more information about the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, or Taj Mahal the musician.
  - abraham 14y ago
    If Google new there was a conference room in a persons current building named the location of an event I would bet it would be smart enough to use that instead. Maybe as more places start using Google indoor mapping this particular problem will be fixed. Most of the errors will likely just be a lack of context provided to Google or a lack of information available in a format Google can access.

ben1040 14y ago

When I saw the keynote introducing Google Now, the first thing I thought of was that concept video they used to introduce Glass [1]. For example, in the video, the user looked at a subway station entrance, and the glasses showed a rider alert that the station was closed due to a train problem. I have to imagine that Google Now will be an important information engine behind the "HUD" displays in Glass. Glass is aiming to also follow that principle of offering you information when it's contextually-relevant, and trying to get out of the way otherwise. [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4

eco 14y ago

So the voice search is called Google Now? During the keynote it was confusing because they kept calling the voice stuff "Voice Search" and "Google Now" was only used when talking about the cards (which are confusingly in the same app).

isaacwaller 14y ago
The voice search is not called Now (it is just 'Google Voice Search') but since Google Now and Google Voice Search were released at the same time they are commonly confused.
Shooti 14y ago
You've got it right, Voice Search and Google Now are separate entities living in the same Google search app. IIRC the keynote introduced it as something like "The New Google search = New UI + Voice Search + Google Now", so no contradiction there. People just happen to like calling the entire app "Google Now" since thats the part they remember, so it became tradition. Much like how some people call the iPod Touch the "iTouch".
cbhl 14y ago
Voice Search is Voice Search. Google Now is just the predictive notifications and the cards (the notifications being the more signifiant part). The two are separate. Voice Search has been available since Froyo, IIRC -- although in the past it would simply show search results rather than respond with a voice for anything other than a small set of phrases. Voice responses for more general Knowledge Graph queries is new in Jellybean. (Long-press the search button on an older phone, like a Nexus One, to trigger it.)

habosa 14y ago

I have been using Google Now for a few months now and it has been amazing. Example 1: One night I was going to a Roots concert and I went through the venue's website on my Google Chrome on my laptop. Then, right around concert time, Google Now alerted me to what subway I should take to get there. Example 2: I searched for the Phillies score once on my tablet, and now my phone tells me about the score of each game. Again, I never asked. Example 3: After 2 days, Google Now guessed where I lived/worked and what time I left for work most days. I don't use any check-in services or anything like that it really just guessed. Then it started telling me what time I'd have to leave home/work to get there on time based on the current subway schedule. Exactly what I wanted, never asked.

tarkin2 14y ago
Really cool, but am I the only one who finds this creepy as hell?
- ConstantineXVI 14y ago
  I've been operating under the assumption that Google (and others) has been building this sort of data up on their users for a while now; I actually appreciate said data being used (visibly) for my benefit for once.
- factorialboy 14y ago
  Not really. They (Apple, Google, FB etc.) always had this data. At least they're putting it to good use.
- 0xABADC0DA 14y ago
  Yes. Your filter bubble won't let you know that anybody else finds it creepy. "If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included."
- bdr 14y ago
  I'm not trying to be glib, but: so what? Some people will use it, because it will provide value to them. I may be one of them. Kids born today will, if nothing changes, think this stuff is absolutely normal. Your reaction is a valid one, and I have my limits too, but I think we're beyond the point of merely acknowledging that it's creepy. Please go further: Where is the line? Why? And what are you willing to do about it?

bdr 14y ago

Interesting. I'm thinking that Android vs Apple may be decided on the simple fact that sufficiently-better AI trumps any-amount-better UI. Lawsuits and supposed openness be damned.

buu700 14y ago
That actually seems like a really interesting observation. I've never specifically thought of systems in terms of UI v. AI before, but it makes sense if you think of all operations in any computational system as the result of data manipulation by some "intelligence", and user interface as more specifically the interface between that data and user intelligence. In a computational system, computational intelligence will be used in all instances possible, until such a point as it is either insufficiently advanced or insufficiently informed to continue without making a call to the user intelligence. Thus, the more advanced a computational intelligence and the more information at its disposal, the less interface with user intelligence necessary. By that reasoning, it follows that the ideal or perfect interface would be one which treats the user purely as a data source (more precisely, as the absolute last data source in the pecking order – one to use when absolutely no other data source accessible could possibly provide the same data or make the same decision with reasonable confidence). In that sense, it's likely that going forward we'll see UIs moving more in the direction of Now / Wolfram Alpha / Siri and using such mechanisms to manipulate and return greater amounts of information.
- bdr 14y ago
  Butlers had a pretty good UI.
- buu700 14y ago
  A couple more thoughts: * This idea of data being acted upon by intelligences is essentially a generalisation of the canonical algorithms and data structures. * The argument presented would also explain why anyone accustomed to a certain command line interface will swear by it over most graphical interfaces to the same system (the reason being that commands are usually a much more direct interface between the system and the user intelligence).

YooLi 14y ago

Not looking forward to the ads. I'd rather pay for it.

jmsduran 14y ago
I would pay for any service if I had guarantees that my data would not be sold or used for third party profit in any way.

sprokolopolis 14y ago

Recently, my parents went on a trip to London. Before they returned, I received a Google Now card with their flight information and estimated time of arrival. I am not sure if they gathered this info from email or sms. It was somewhat creepy, but certainly helpful and convenient (I needed to call them before they left). I have been quite pleased with Google Now and use it much more than I ever used any of the other Siri clones. When I am busy, I forget things easily and it is nice when Google just gives me helpful information to keep me on track.

nsp 14y ago

hnriot 14y ago

While this is incredibly smart and a very impressive application of machine learning, does anyone actually want this? I'm quite capable of looking at traffic reports or bus times myself when I need to. I actually think I'd find this pretty annoying, if my phone told me sports score before I'd had a chance to watch the game, or if it started second guessing me at every turn. This has the feel of valet parking, while it sounds fine and convenient and luxurious, in reality I find it very undesirable and will avoid places that have it. There's something very much at the core of life in experiencing it for ourselves without having a computer to hand hold us the whole time and remind us it's time leave for work. I don't find it creepy, just embarrassing to feel like I need to be babied so much by technology.

jamesaguilar 14y ago
Tbh if I have a calendar entry with a location attached, I'd rather just skip the step of typing the address myself of the computer is smart enough to do it automatically.
- fixedd 14y ago
  I also really like the examples like "how tall is the Eiffel Tower?" Sometimes I want to know a specific piece of information, sometimes I want to read up on something. This allows me to ask specific questions and get poignant answers.
blrgeek 14y ago
Earlier browsers had one address box, and one search box. Chrome moved both together - and many people liked it. I'm sure you like Google Instant and Google Suggest - with the results/search terms showing up even as you type - allowing you to refine your query on the fly even before you complete it! Google Now is one big leap in the same direction. I search for a lot of things, and I would like instant access to a lot of things that I've searched for before. If my phone can figure out what I need access to 'Now' because I've searched for it before or it knows my routing - I say bring it on - make my life easier - and give me more time to do my stuff instead of handling logistics and trivia. Look at the examples - giving you transit timings when you enter a bus-stop, or giving you traffic conditions to your office or next appointment, or driving directions to the place you searched for. Why not using the super computer in your pocket for that instead of focusing your mind on it and distracting you from your life? And either you're watching the game NOW, and therefore the score is not relevant to you, or you're not able to watch the game, so the scores are useful. Presumably, the number of people who time-shift a live game is not that high. Those folks can simply delete the card the first time and never see it again. Google Now is adding a rich information layer to your life via your phone. You can ignore it or you can use it.

blrgeek 14y ago

Google Now is awesome. Search for a place on Google - card shows up with driving directions on phone. Morning and evening, shows up driving time/directions for work/home.

ralfd 14y ago
Why are you people thinking this is better than Microsoft Words annoying Clippy? "It seems like you are writing a letter..." I already know how to get to work every day.
- keeperofdakeys 14y ago
  The difference is Clippy tries to grab your attention, most likely without making a contribution. Google Now doesn't try to grab your attention, just show you information that might be helpful.
- twism 14y ago
  It only shows up if there are traffic delays or public transit schedules.
- blrgeek 14y ago
  It's out of the way - at best there's an extra notification, or it's one card in Google Now - when/if you go there. Extra information when presented unobtrusively is not annoying. a. Do you know how long it's going to take today? If there're any specific traffic issues that are causing delays on your usual route? b. What if you have an appointment today to a different place than work - wouldn't you like to know the route there? c. If you take transit, wouldn't you like to see bus routes when you reach the bus stop, instead of manually searching for it? Think of it as your Personal Assistant... Not sure why you wouldn't want one that's always with you and can be flicked away if it's not what you want [permanently or only this time].

potch 14y ago

So I can steal someone's phone, and just have it remind me of all that user's private info by walking around? Nifty. Edit: I know the above is glib, and I'm not trying to rain on the parade of unbelievable achievements in data-wrangling that are going on here (I'd love to hear how it's done computationally), but I don't like knowing that all the privacy controls something like this deserves will be rolled out hastily in response to someone's life inevitably being ruined by the careless trust of one's life to a device that can fall out of their pocket. It's easy for the savvier of us on this site to say "serves them for not thinking to take precautions", but when we make it so easy to give a third party the reins, even we get complacent.

kaolinite 14y ago
That isn't a problem with Google Now, that's a problem with smartphones generally. Even without Google Now, you can log onto someone's Facebook account, read their emails, read their texts, view their calendar, etc.
1010011010 14y ago
Assuming you could unlock it, yes. But this has been true since the age of Palm and Blackberry phones.

jpalomaki 14y ago

I think Android 4.1 is finally something like the "agents" people have been envisioning for over a decade. The possibilities on this are endless and currently Google is about the only company that is able to do it (from my point of view). Google knows my calendar, Google knows my contacts, Google knows pretty much everything I buy online (because they handle all my emails), Google knows about my travel plans (email again), Google know what I've been looking, where I've been (Latitude) and so on. There could be also huge opportunities for money making in all this. One good question is should they keep all this just to themselves or would it be better to try to create an ecosystem for applications. Let's the take travel plans as an example. It would be fairly easy for Google to mine my calendar and emails to figure out my travel plans. This would open up opportunities in offering me flight upgrades and other travel related services. Google could either try to use this information themselves, they could allow advertisers to use it, or they could expose it to 3rd party apps (of course with my consent). Keeping with the agent idea these things would be much more than just highly targeted ads. They could be direct offers, like "Say Yes Please, to upgrade your flight from Helsinki to Barcelona to business class for 150€".

modernerd 14y ago

With a little imagination, it's not hard to see why some are nervous about a search engine that stores every interaction in an attempt to profile its users and guess their intentions. Don your finest tin foil hat as we channel surf some internet TV stations from the future: LIGHTS DIM; THE GLOW OF A COMPUTER SCREEN FILLS THE ROOM "In what is thought to be a world-first, a man's life was saved late Friday following automated intervention by a search engine. "Close friends of Mr Exampleson, who BBC News can now reveal were the only members of his "Best Friends" circle on Boogle Plus, said they were able to get to the Beachy Head cliffs in Southern England five minutes before his arrival thanks only to an email from a 'Concerned Partner'. "The email said that their friend was displaying worrying behaviour, that he had personally disclosed his intention to take his own life, that he had planned a route to Beachy Head with an estimated arrival time of 19:27, and that he was currently on the A267 heading South at a speed of 57MPH. "A spokesperson from Boogle Ireland this morning said that they have long been publishing helpline numbers on their website when a user enters certain search terms, and that this was simply an extension of that service. "Privacy advocate Mr Foilhatison joins us now to discuss what this means for..." SWITCH CHANNEL "...surrounded the building and ordered the suspect to come out with his hands up. When questioned, it emerged that the man was famous writer Real Steveyson, who is staying in the area to write his hotly anticipated thriller, Cryptonomnomnom. Mr Steveyson has since been released with a public apology. Police are now said to be following a variety of other leads they hope will 'prove to be less of a hopeless time suck'. "Asked why he felt detectives had singled him out and surrounded him in his remote location, Mr Steveyson said that he had been searching Boogle over a period of two months for various methods to reduce DNA evidence at crime scenes for his upcoming book. He had also been Boogling for local peat bogs, completely unaware of the recent bodies that police have pulled from them. Mr Steveyson suspects that Boogle may now be sharing live search information with local law enforcement agencies in a bid to both pre-empt crime and increase conviction rates. The idea sounds so far-fetched that he plans to make it the subject of his next novel, which he hopes to publish for the first time via telepathic transfer using the new... SWITCH CHANNEL "We're here in the diamond district where Miss Caratson is closing her shop for the last time. Tell us, Miss Caratson, is it the same story for you as it has been for the others?" "Sure is! I haven't sold a single engagement ring since Boogle Hive got popular." "Can you explain why?" "Boogle talks my customers out of the purchase! Somehow it detects that they're in a jewellers. And that's when it gets really weird. It always starts the same way: they get that dreaded audio alert. That's when I know I've lost the sale. "One time, it told a young man that, based on a language analysis of all correspondence with his partner, there was a 76% chance that his fiancé-to-be was only interested in him for his large Boogle Wallet balance, so he might want to hold off on his big plans. "Another time, Boogle tells my customer that, based on something called their "Boogle Lifestyle Score", they probably weren't the marrying kind. Then it reels off a list of 12 ways they'd have much more fun with the same amount of money, and it lets them know that six of the 12 things are within a five-minute walk. "And don't get me started on the glasses! Guys using those Boogle Glasses always get told that Boogle has found the same ring they're looking at 500 bucks cheaper three shops down. It's a race to the bottom. I just can't win. "Some of us tried to circumvent it by installing Faraday shielding and blocking the damn system altogether, but Boogle just warns people to avoid us before they even get in the door. It's over. I'm done!" "What will you do now, Miss Caratson?" "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to do what everyone else is doing. I'm going to start a..." SCREEN DIMS, AMBIENT LIGHTS FLICKER ON Yes, some of this may be a little far-fetched, but the idea of a computer network attempting to infer intentions based on a lifetime of intimate accumulated knowledge is troubling for many. Even if such a system has the potential to be incredibly useful, I suspect that the amount of blind trust it demands would make it a challenge to adopt for more than a few of us.